Strength and Weakness
by WasabiWarriorGirl
Summary: Jack is strong, he never gives up. Nothing seems to keep him done. However, he is human which means certain things can't be avoided. Like illness. Jack is sick, but there is a big tournament coming up so he trains just as hard as ever. But can he do it? For anyone who likes Jack hurt/comfort and some kick, mostly at the end. Only T cause I am paranoid, could be lower. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Kim's Pov**

I woke up Monday morning with the familiar feeling of dread in my stomach. This was my attitude every Monday that I had to drag myself out of bed, intensified tody by the fact it was the first day back after vacation. However, I tried to talk myself around by thinking of all the positives. I had karate this afternoon, the first time in a week as Rudy had gone away for part of the break. Also, I would see the guys again. We'd hung out a far bit, but I hadn't seen them for a few days. _And I missed Jack…_no, I would not let myself think that.

I got up slowly and started to get ready. I had a shower then dried and straightened my hair. I walked back out of my bedroom and started to get dressed. I had never been one for dressing up, so I just stuck to my skinny jeans, floral tank top and lime green cardigan. I took a look at the clock and jumped. I only had ten minutes to get to the bus stop! I took off running, shouting hurried goodbyes and pausing only to grab an apple.

I walked into school, looking around for any of my friends. I heard their voices just as I reached my locker.

"Kim, hey Kim!"

I turned around, beaming, as Milton, Eddie and Jerry walked towards me.

"Hey guys," I said as I opened my locker, "how was your summer?"

I listened as there voiced all rang out, Eddie talking about how he was becoming a 'playa', Milton going on about all the extra credit work he did while Jerry complained about his disastrous family reunion. Apparently his elderly grandfather had thought he was a dog and chased him with a newspaper.

"Wait, guys, where's Jack?" I asked suddenly.

"Trust you to notice…" muttered Jerry under his breath.

"No idea," answered Milton while I glared at Jerry, "he might be late or something."

No sooner than he said this, Jerry's phone rang. "It's Jack!" he said.

"Put it on speaker," Eddie said, "then we can all hear."

Jerry did as he was told and answered the call.

"Hey Jack!" we all said loudly.

"Hey guys," he replied hoarsely.

"Oh my god Jack!" gasped Milton, "You sound absolutely horrible!"

Normally I would scold Milton for being over dramatic, but this was an understatement. Jack really did sound awful. His nose sounded seriously stuffed up, his voice was extremely hoarse and sounded close to vanishing completely. There was no doubt about it, Jack Brewer was definitely sick.

"Wow Jack, are you ok?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah Kim, I'll survive," He answered, though his sarcasm was slightly ruined by the two sneezes punctuating it. I winced, the sneezes just sounded so _sick_.

"Yo Jack, why aren't you at school?" We all groaned in response to Jerry's question, Eddie gesturing wildly to the phone.

"Jack, uh, do you need us to bring you anything?" I asked, somewhat awkwardly.

"No thanks, I'll be fine."

"Well, feel better soon Jack!" Eddie said, and we all agreed and said several things similar.

"Thanks, bye," answered Jack.

Jerry hung up the phone and we all burst into an extremely concerned babble.

"I've never heard anyone so ill!"

"Did you hear how close to gone his voice was?"

"He was jacked up, dude!"

"And those sneezes…Ergh!"

"Do you guys think he'll make the tournament?"

We all looked around at Eddie's question. "I guess so," I said, "he is sure to be more than well enough by then. I mean, it's not until this Saturday!"

"I don't know Kim," said Milton doubtfully, "Jack barely ever gets sick, but when he does get sick, he gets _real sick._"

"Yeah, remember that cold he had last year?"

I nodded to Eddie, because I did indeed remember his cold. Poor Jack had been absolutely miserable for a week, constantly coughing and sneezing. Even after the week, he wasn't 100 per cent for another ten days. Considering how bad he'd been with a cold, I couldn't imagine how dreadful he must be feeling now.

I grabbed my books from inside my locker. "Surely his Mum will be looking after him," I said out loud. I was more reassuring myself that the guys though.

"What if she's afraid of getting sick?" asked Eddie.

Milton rolled his eyes. "As you should now already, Jack isn't contagious when he gets these things! It's something with his immune system."

Now feeling fairly reassured, I started to head to class.

"Come on you guys, we'll be late!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Kim's Pov**

The school bell had finally rung, and all the students raced out the doors for a bit of freedom. I hurried to my locker to get my bag so I could head to karate. After the usual scramble, I chased after the guys, catching them just outside of school.

"Hey Kim," greeted Milton, "we were just discussing whether Jack would turn up for karate today."

"He wouldn't," I said, "You could tell how bad he sounded."

"True," said Milton, "But he has never missed a lesson before. Plus, he might think he should train for the tournament."

I shrugged, then realised we'd reached the Mall.

"Kim, we're going to grab a corndog, want to come?" asked Eddie.

"Nah, it's OK," I said, "I'm going to go early to the dojo and tell Rudy about the situation with Jack. See ya!"

**Jerry's Pov**

Kim had just left to tell Rudy about Jack. She so liked Jack! Anyway, after a few minutes the dojo was out of sight and we were just about to reach Captain Corndogs.

"Where do you dweebs think you're going?"

We all spun around, and found ourselves facing Frank.

"Where's your precious Jack? Did he realise that you are a bunch of fools and dump you for a better dojo?"

"Hey, isn't that what happened with you and Kim?" I wondered out loud. I suddenly realised that that was a BIG mistake. Frank growled, raised his first and started to go in for the punch. I closed my eyes, and waited for the impact but it didn't come. I opened my eyes, and saw a brunette standing in front of us. Although his voice was barely more than a whisper, it didn't lack any confidence as he spoke.

"You probably shouldn't have done that."

Jack swung out his leg, kicked frank then flipped him.

**Milton's Pov**

"Jack!" I said incredulously.

He turned to face us and I grimaced. His eyes were glazed with fever and there were dark bags under his eyes. His skin was extremely pale, though his cheeks had turned a very rosy pink.

"Jack…you look…gahhhh!"

He raised his eyebrows at me before turning back to Frank.

"Just stay away from us Frank," he said, "As much as I enjoy kicking your but, doesn't it get boring for you after a while?"

Frank just glared, still on the floor, while Jack turned back to us.

"Come on," he said, "Let's go."

As we walked I didn't know what to say. "So Jack, umm, how are you feeling?"

Jack thought for a moment then said, "I'm OK."

"Oh, come on dude!" said Jerry impatiently, "you look like then walking dead!"

Jack cracked a smile, looking somewhat amused. "Fine," he said, "I feel terrible. I have been…" He broke off and pulled out a tissue, sneezing several times before continuing, "coughing for hours, my throat is killing me and I think my head is about to spit open."

I watched as Jack went into a coughing fit. "Jack you really should be in bed. You are obviously sick and…" I paused and felt him forehead, "you are burning up!"

"Milton, I have to practise for the tournament. I already missed school today, I can't miss karate. I shouldn't have missed school either, but my Mum wouldn't let me go."

"Dude, you are obviously in no fit state to do karate," said Jerry.

"Guys I can do it," Jack exclaimed impatiently, "Look we're already here."

We walked into the dojo just as Rudy and Kim came out of Rudy's office. As sick as Jack was, I really shouldn't have been surprised. He was passionate about karate and wouldn't miss it for anything, especially before a tournament. I couldn't lie to myself either, we did really need him. The only challenge would be explaining this to Kim…


	3. Chapter 3

Authors note; hey guys! This is me, with another update of the story. Before I start, I just want to thank you AnAross3000 and KarateGirl77 for your reviews. They really made me want to update as soon as possible, so thank you so much! Words cannot describe how excited I was to get reviews. Anyway, this will be my longest chapter yet, so enjoy it!

Oh, and I forgot to say before but I don't own kickin it or any of the characters. I just own the plot line.

**Kim's Pov**

"Is he really that bad?" asked Rudy.

"Yes Rudy!" I snapped for the millionth time, "I told you, he had practically no voice and you could tell how congested he was! I think he called to tell us he wasn't coming to school, but he didn't even have to say it. Rudy, he is definitely not up to karate at the moment, but the guys think there is a chance he'll come anyway!

"OK," said Rudy and held his hands up in the gesture of surrender, "Ok, I was just checking."

I rolled my eyes in frustration, and then just shook my head. "Come on Rudy, the guys will be back from Captain Corndogs soon."

As we walked out of the office, four teenage boys came through the doors. Milton, Eddie, Jerry and _Jack._ God, that boy has no limits. I narrowed eyes as he walked into the door. "Jack, what are you doing here?"

I saw the other guys exchange looks, before Eddie spoke up.

"On the way to Captain Corndogs we, err, had a run in with Frank and he, umm, went to punch us and Jack kind of helped us."

I looked at Jack, who was watching me. I didn't know what to do. On one hand, I was furious he was here and wanted to scream at him, but on the other he _was _sick and had just saved the guys. I settled for silence.

"Well, ok then," Rudy said, "Let's get to work."

It soon transpired Jack was not intending on taking it easy. Though he coughed and sneezed, he still worked as hard as ever. Though his voice was now barely there, he still kicked the dummies with just as much ferocity.

"Ok," Rudy yelled, "time to spar."

I saw Jack wince at his yell, but I chose not to say anything.

"I'll go first!" I said confidently, as I bounded onto the mat.

"OK," said Rudy, "who wants to spar with Kim?"

Milton, Jerry and Eddie all backed away immediately. Ha, wimps.

"I will," Jack said hoarsely and stepped onto the mat.

"Ok Jack, but don't be going easy on me," I grinned.

"I learn from my mistakes" he said, coughing.

"Ok, ready?" asked Rudy, "Hajimaru."

I attacked, runny at him and throwing a kick at him. He dodged it easily before attempting a kick back at me. I rolled sideways and only just dodged it. Wow, that was a fast kick. I leapt up and tried to flip him, but he twisted in mid-air and landed on his feet again. I threw a punch at him, but he caught it.

"You probably shouldn't have done that."

He flipped me. I landed on my back and stared at the ceiling for a minute, shocked. Then Jack's head appeared in my line of vision.

"You Ok?" he asked, holding out a hand.

"Yeah," I smiled and took his hand. However, my smile faded when I felt the temperature of his hand. "Jack your hand is really warm."

Rudy hurried forward and placed a hand on Jack's forehead. He paled slightly.

"Jerry, go grab that thermometer from the first aid kit in my office. Jack, I think you should come and sit down."

"I'm fine Rudy!" Jack exclaimed as he was let to the bench, "I am just a little bit under the weather."

We all ignored him as Jerry came running back. Rudy took the thermometer and demanded Jack opened his mouth.

"Seriously Rudy?" Jack asked.

"Just open your mouth Jack," I said impatiently and, to my surprise, he did.

"Big shocker," murmured Jerry.

We all waited, while Jack sat and looked adorable. _Stop it Kim, you don't like him!_

The temperature beeped, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"103.4," Rudy gasped, "That's it Jack, you're going home."

"But the tournament is this weekend!"

"Jack, if you are still this ill then, there is no way you will be able to compete. Just focus on getting better."

"Rudy's right Jack," I said, "Just go and change."

Again, he seemed to heed my instruction and got up. As he stood, he swayed alarmingly, and Jerry and Milton hastily grabbed him. Then they took him into the change rooms, and Eddie brought up the rear, carrying Jack's stuff.

"Kim, walk him home, will you?" asked Rudy.

"Sure Rudy, but why?"

"Well, first there is a chance he may collapse," he said. "Second, just to make sure he doesn't overstretch himself. We really need him for the tournament, but if the fever gets any higher it will be way too dangerous for him to compete."

"Got it Rudy, no problem."

Just as we said this, Jack walked out of the change rooms. He wasn't looking as weak as he had minute ago, but I could tell the other guys we keeping a close eye on him. We all said good bye to Rudy, who waved as we left the Dojo.

"Bye everyone, feel better Jack!"

As we walked, we talked about nothing in particular. I noticed Jack was oddly quiet, though he was probably just feeling unwell. Milton lived quite close to the mall, so he stopped walking with us after a few minutes.

Barely a minute after we left, Jack sneezed. We all glanced around at him.

"You ok, Jack?" asked Eddie, concerned.

"Yeah just… _heh'Ihhshhh! eh'Hishhhh__! _Tickle… _heh'Ihhshhh! eh'Hishhhh!_ In… _heh'Ihhshhh! eh'Hishhhh… heh'Ihhshhh! Eh'Hishhhh Hishhhhooo!_

No sooner had he finished sneezing, he went into a violent coughing fit. The guys and I stood back unsure of what to do. After he finished coughing, he took a deep breath. Assuming it was over, I started to walk again but suddenly saw Jack start to sway.

"Eddie! Jerry!" I yelled.

They ran forward just in time. Jack's legs had completely gone out from under him. Eddie and Jerry grabbed either one of his arms and lowered him carefully to the ground.

"Jack, man, you alright?" asked Jerry, clearly alarmed.

"Ummm…Yeah..." Jack murmured weakly.

I had no idea what to do. I really didn't want to move him, but I knew the sooner he got home the better. I took a breath.

"Jack, are you ready to move now?"

Eddie and Jerry both shot me shocked look, but Jack nodded. He staggered to his feet, gripping Jerry's arm. He stood still for a minute and steadied himself. Then, we all made our painstaking way down two more blocks before we reached a fork. Here, Jack and I had to go left while Jerry and Eddie went right. They shot me a nervous look as they departed, and I returned an apprehensive one.

As Jack and I walked, I tried to find something to say to break the awkward silence. "So…" I said, "Ummm…Is your mum home from her holiday?"

Jack looked at me and smiled. I think he could tell how hard I was trying to make conversation.

"Yes, but tonight she's having a night out with her friends. I probably can't expect her back until the early hours of tomorrow morning."

"So, is your Dad home?"

"No," Jack said shortly, "He, uh, died when I was twelve. About two months before I moved here." I looked up at him and saw the sadness in his eyes. I felt as though my heart was breaking. I moved closer to him and put my arms around him.

"He was run over by a drunk driver. I saw it."

I stared up at him, wanting to hear more but not wanting him to have to tell me. But, he was talking again and I waited with bated breath.

"He was crossing the road in front of our house. I came down outside to greet him. His eyes were on me and he didn't see the car come tearing up the street. It hit him."

Tears were streaming silently down my face, but Jack looked so strong and composed. I had always admired his physical strength, though I now know he has great mental strength too. Wow, I am really falling for him.

We arrived at Jack's house, and I then realised what everything meant.

"You'll be home alone!"

"Yeah…?" Jack said questioningly.

"Jack, you need taking care of." I thought for a moment before pulling out my phone and texting my Mum. "I'll stay."

Oooh exciting! There will definitely be kick in the next chapter, I swear on my mother's meatballs! I wonder how Jack will react to Kim taking care of him! Again, thanks so much for the reviews!


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N - Hey everyone! Here comes a chapter full of kick, for anyone who likes it. Anyway, thank you for the reviews, all of you are so generous with your kind words. Again, thank you so much, all of you mean the world to me. There will also be another note at the bottom; its important so please read it! I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!_

**Kim's Pov**

"For goodness sake Jack, hold still!" I snapped as he sat and squirmed.

"Kim, I don't need you to take my temperature," Jack said.

"Jack!"

He winced, his hand going to his head. I felt a bit sorry for yelling, but I took advantage of this moment to shove the thermometer into his mouth. He glared at me, his hand still on his head.

"Sorry," I said softly.

He shrugged at me, which I took to mean that he forgave me. He couldn't speak through the thermometer. The thermometer beeped and I took it out of his mouth.

"103.5," I muttered, "It has gotten higher since we left the dojo."

"Not by much," Jack pointed out.

I looked at him. "Even so, I think we need to cool you down, let me get a wet cloth." I hurried out of the room and returned a short while later. I had a cool cloth in my hand and it on Jacks forehead.

"Cold!" Jack gasped. This surprised me, since while I had made the cloth cool, it wasn't that cold. But then, looking into his glazed eyes I realised how truly hot he had been a minute before.

"Any better Jack?" I asked sympathetically.

"Yeah thanks," he said. He was still breathing heavily and sounded so miserable I actually felt kind of bad. I reached out and grabbed hold of his hand, and I felt tingles going up my arm. He smiled at me and I felt like I was melting. I never realised how beautiful his eyes were, even now when they had such large dark bags under them.

"Jack, did you even sleep last night?" I asked, still with his eyes in mind.

"A little bit but…" he broke off coughing. I rubbed his back until he got his breathe back. When he continued to cough, I quickly grabbed him water from the bathroom. When I returned, he was still coughing. I took his hand again and offered him the water, which he took. After he got a hold of himself he put the water down, though didn't release my hand.

"Thank you."

"No problem Jack, you obviously needed it."

"Not just for the water, though I appreciate that. Just for being here."

I smiled at him and sat up next to him on the bed. We sat in silence for a few minutes, my head resting on my shoulder.

"Jack?" I said quietly.

"Mmmmm?"

"What was your life like before you came to Seaford?"

Jack sat in silence for a few seconds. Something told me not to say anything, just to wait.

"We lived in a pretty bad area," he began, "I mean, it wasn't a cheap area but there were a lot of bad people. Drunks, criminals. My parents and I lived in the heart of town. It was quite a big house, but the location was awful. However, my Mum liked the clubs and it was right near the shelter where my Dad volunteered. We got a lot of our money from Grandpa, as Dad was so busy with volunteer work. Mum was always too distracted to work."

A smile played around his lips as he said this. I gazed at him, breathless, once again so transfixed by Jack's story.

"My Dad and I were always really close. Just as close as I am now to Rudy, probably even closer. We played sport and video games, and he took me to all of my karate competitions. He never had any interest in learning karate; I learnt it all from my other Grandpa. But he always was so excited when I won a match." His eyes were bright and I wondered how long it was since he had told this story. "Then he died. I didn't know what to do. Mum was devastated, and distanced herself from me. She spent more time away from home, and with her friends. I think she forgot that she wasn't the only one missing him."

He sneezed and blew his nose. I was crying silently again. And I never cry! I didn't cry when Brody betrayed me, when Ricky Weaver turned out to be a huge monster or when I thought Jack was leaving for Japan. I never cried when I was injured or when I found myself in terrifying situations. But seeing the grief in Jack's eyes, hearing about his past when I had never even thought about it. It really got to me. I felt like I was showing all the weakness and vulnerability that he wasn't showing.

"While we were sad, Mum and I were managing. We called our insurance and planned a funeral. So many people appeared to pay their respects. All the people he had helped, you know. Anyway, only three weeks after the funeral, Grandpa died too."

I clapped a hand to my mouth.

"The one who taught you karate?" I asked, horrified.

"No," he said flatly, "The one who gave us the money. So of course, Mum and I were stuck. While we were meant to be mourning, we were desperately trying to find a way out of our financial crisis. It got so desperate; we sold the house and moved here. I was out of school for a while trying to help Mum, unpacking and all that. Then, Grandpa's Will showed up. We got a considerable amount of money from that, enough to send me to school with you and allow me to continue karate."

He took a breath and I could tell he had finished talking. That was a good thing too, because his voice had faded even more in the last ten minutes. I looked at the clock and realised with a start that it was already half past nine.

"You should probably get to sleep Jack," I said getting up, "But let me take your temperature first." I pulled out the thermometer and stuck it in his mouth. I waited, and pulled it out when it beeped. "102.2," I exclaimed happily, "it's gone down a lot!"

I stared into his face and he stared back. We started inching forward, closer until we were almost touching.

'_Beep beep, beep beep.'_

I looked down at my phone in frustration, seeing a text from my Mum asking where I was.

"I have to go," I said reluctantly.

He nodded. I hesitated slightly, before leaning forward and giving him a quick kiss on the check.

"Feel better Jack…"

_Ok done! Another chapter down! Sorry for the delay in updating, I have been quite busy with homework. That's no excuse though. I know how frustrating it can be when an author doesn't update without reason, so I want to try really hard not to do that. So, I am committing to this story, and if I get at least three reviews from different people, I will have the next chapter up in 10 days. Guaranteed. I probably will have it up within 10 days anyway, but this way I am swearing to it. Anyway, enough about me, onto the chapter. Quite a lot of kick in that chapter, I hope it was enough. There will be even more in future chapters. We also learnt a lot about Jack's past. I don't think there will be a lot more about that, but maybe some more connecting between jack and the guys. Or should I focus on the relationship with Kim? Please tell me in the reviews!_

_Thank you all so much for reading m chapters, you have no idea how much it means to me. I really want to make you happy so if there is anything you don't like about my story or anything you want me to include, please tell me in a review and I will rethink._

_Ok, after that incredibly long note, I bid you farewell. Please review; see you in the next chapter! Xxxxx _


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey Everyone! I'm back! Listen, I am just so sorry about how long it has been since the last update. I have been stressed recently and I hate you guys have to pay the price for my procrastination. On a different note, as you might have seen, I did a oneshot for project beautiful a while back. If you haven't seen it, I encourage you to take a look at it and the other project beautiful stories. It was an honour to be involved in a project like that, bullying is really not OK. Anyway, I have a new chapter now, enjoy._

**Kim's Pov**

Wow, so much happened yesterday that when I woke up this morning, I was exhausted. I succumbed to the snooze button several times before finally dragging myself into the bathroom. By the time I was sitting in the kitchen, in my bright floral tee and short overalls, I was a lot more awake. I revived some more after my toast and when the bus came I was ready.

I wasn't really surprised to see Jack already sitting in our usual seats. You could still tell he was sick, though there was a definite improvement from yesterday. He looked as though he had a decent night's sleep.

I went and sat next to him. He smiled at me, and I again noticed his improvement.

"So, feeling better?" I asked concernedly.

"Yeah, a lot thanks," he answered. He still sounded congested, but his voice didn't sound as close to disappearing.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes Kim!"

I nodded. "Ok," I agreed, "You do look less pale, but let me check your temperature."

He groaned. "Fine…"

I pulled a thermometer from my bag, (that happened to have been conveniently placed in there), and gave it to him.

"Ummm…you carry a thermometer in your bag?" Jack asked incredulously.

I rolled my eyes. "Just use it!"

He shrugged and stuck the thermometer in his mouth. After a little while, it beeped.

"100.7," I said.

"Kim, that's fine!"

I was about to argue back, but then he started coughing. Regardless of his improvement, after he got his breath back he looked exhausted. I decided to let the matter rest, though I had made up my mind to keep an eye on him.

When we got to school, the guys were hanging out at our regular place just near the stairs. I waved to them as we approached and they all jumped to their feet.

"Hey, buddy, how are you doing?" asked Eddie.

"Yeah Jack, are you okay?" Milton said, concerned.

"Yeah, thanks guys I'm fine."

"Yo, dude, you sure?" asked Jerry, "You nearly fainted yesterday!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, guys, ok?"

We all murmured incoherently in response to this, but as soon as he turned around we all started shaking our heads.

"I know you are doing that," Jack said, not even turning around. We all tried to look innocent as he turned, though exchanging sheepish grins all the same.

_Ok guys, that's it. I know it is shorter than normal, the explanation being it is just a filler. I have a lot planned for the next chapter at the dojo, but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer for an update. Next chapter will be up soon. Please review, it would mean the world to me. Stay safe everyone, thanks, I love you all! WASABI!_


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